Of all of the rookie cards from the 1970’s that I still want for my personal collection, Schmidt’s is the one that will cost me the most. Heck, it will probably cost more than many of the others combined!

Don’t believe me? Check out some ended auctions for this beauty from the 1973 Topps set:

Mike Schmidt was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1995. Of the 460 ballots cast in 1995, Schmidt received votes for entry on 444 of them.

His Hall of Fame plaque reads:

‘Unprecedented combination of power and defense with unusual mixture of strength, coordination, and speed made him one of the game’s greatest third baseman. 7th on all-time list with 548 home runs. His 8 home run titles (1 tie) bettered only by Babe Ruth. Hit 40 or more on three occasions and topped 30 ten other times. 48 home runs in 1980 most ever by a third baseman. Hit 4 in one game in 1976. 3-time MVP with 10 Gold Gloves for fielding excellence’.

It seems like the stars from the 1980’s really took tim in perfecting their autographs. In my opinion, some of the best signatures in baseball are from players that solidified their status as baseball royalty during that decade.

Among the group are Ozzie Smith, Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy, Wade Boggs, Orel Hershiser, and of course Mike Schmidt.

Just take a look at how nicely Schmidt puts his signature on a baseball:

On April 18, 1987 Michael Jack Schmidt hit the 500th home run of is incredible career!!

I remember watching the highlights of this game. The joy that Schmidt shared with us as he rounded the bases while pumping his fists is one of the greatest memories I have of baseball from 1980’s. Rarely do you see a player emit so much joy during a game, but Schmidt did not hold back and I am thankful that I was able to enjoy his moment with him.

Schmidt finished his career with 548 home runs which places him in 15th place on the all-time list.

Mike Schmidt was the offensive force behind the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies and their World Series championship.

After an unimpressive series against the Houston Astros in the NLCS, Schmidt took his game to another level when his team faced off against the Kansas City Royals for the World Series.

In the series, Schmidt hit .381 while collecting 8 hits in 21 at-bats. He was responsible for driving in 7 runs in the 6-game series, while also scoring six times. Schmidt had a .462 on-base percentage in the match-up and went on to be named as the World Series MVP.